How to get a kid to brush his teeth properly

Kids don't liek to brush their teeth. It's a chore. It's no fun. Toothpaste does not taste as nice as sweets. It's often easier for them to pretend they've done it when they haven't.

What's missing here is motivation.

So I sat the five year old on my lap and we searched google images for rotten teeth.

Click a few of the more grotesque (but real) ones and your child's dental education will reach a whole new level. His first response was to put his hand over his mouth, and perhaps struggle to keep his dinner down. But now we've got a child who gets worried if he hasn't brushed his teeth, and does it thoroughly.